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On March 17, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee approved House Concurrent Resolution 13, a measure that would unnecessarily reaffirm the divisive phrase “In God We Trust” as our national motto and encourage its display in all public and government buildings. The resolution will now go to the full House of Representatives for a vote.

The Secular Coalition for America opposes this symbolic resolution because the term “In God We Trust” is not inclusive of the beliefs of all Americans, specifically atheists, agnostics, humanists and other nontheistic Americans, but also the millions of religious Americans whose beliefs do not entail the use of the word “god.” The phrase itself was not adopted as our nation’s official motto until 1956, at the height of McCarthyism and the Cold War. It is entirely inappropriate to brand a secular nation such as ours with a religious motto that creates division among citizens and erodes the wall of separation between church and state.

A more appropriate motto would be our nation's previous de facto motto, "E Pluribus Unum," which is Latin for, "Out of many, one."

If the phrase “In God We Trust” does not represent your views, or if you believe it is an improper motto for our secular government, please contact your representative and ask them to oppose H. Con. Res. 13. If you are a nontheist, we encourage you to explain that in your letter as well.